Fairy Dust 2 The Remake
by QDramaStr
Summary: Remake of the original Fairy Dust. Features romance, humor, drama, the antics of the Marauders, coffee obsessed Slytherins, a musical, and original characters to keep the party going!
1. In the Beginning

A/n: Welcome one and all to "Fairy Dust 2- The Remake." This is a remake of the original story "Fairy Dust" which, is not being continued as everything was NOT how I wanted it and I wanted a fresh start. If you've read FD, you'll notice many things are TOTALLY different in this story, and some things are the same. All in all, this is what I want. So . . . enjoy!  
  
And one more VERY important notice: **THIS STORY DOES NOT COMPLY WITH OOTP! ** Of course, I might put a few things in here from it. Such as the Room of Requirement and "Snivellus," cause that's just too good to resist!  
  
&%&%&%&%&%  
  
"Lillian! Get your arse up here this instant!"  
  
"Petunia! How many times have I told you not to use that language? And, I asked you to go ask your sister to come upstairs, not to yell across the continent. I could have done that."   
  
A floor down from the yelling mother and daughter, a red headed girl put down her book and smiled. Her older sister was always harassing her, and in turn was always being chastised by her mother. She blinked, her bright green eyes sparkling underneath her long eyelashes. She was her parent's favorite child, no matter how much they denied it, she and her sister Petunia both knew it. The girl, Lily Evans, had always been sweet, polite, and made friends with everyone even up to age eleven when most children begin to develop an edge towards their parents.   
  
Petunia had been sweet when she was little. In fact, she and Lily had been almost inseparable. When Petunia had reached the age of ten however, she deemed her seven-year-old sister unfit to be a companion and refused to be around her. She also developed the snotty attitude which, at age fourteen, she still possessed.  
  
Lily sighed and rose from her armchair. She slowly walked upstairs wondering what her mother wanted. She entered her parent's bedroom only to find her mother glaring at her with her hands on her hips.  
  
"Lillian Marie Evans!" she bellowed. Lily gulped. Her mother only called her by her full name when she was in serious trouble.  
  
"Yes mum?" asked Lily.   
  
"How many times have I told you not to play with my things?" Her mother cried. Lily looked at the floor as her mother held up a hairdryer that had literally fallen apart. "This is the fourth time this week!" her mother continued, "First the pudding falls over after you steal a spoonful, then the television breaks after you turn it on, then my makeup tray spills when you picked something up, and now my hairdryer!" Lily bit her lip and felt tears rise to her eyes.  
  
"I'm sorry mummy," she said softly, "I was just looking at it. Petunia was being mean to me and I came in here to look for you, but you weren't in here. I saw it on your dresser and I was going to put it away for you, but when I looked at it, it just broke. Honest!" Mrs. Evans sighed and sat on her bed. In a swift motion, she pulled Lily onto her lap and into a tight hug.  
  
"I know sweetie," she said, "Sometimes I just don't know what's going on. So many strange things have been happening lately that I just can't explain. Its almost like they're happening by . . . magic."  
  
"Maybe they are," said Lily. Her mother laughed and ruffled her hair.  
  
"You should stop reading all those books," said her mother, "They're filling your head with nonsense. Magic isn't real; it's an illusion. Now get off to bed." Lily stood up and left the room. As she walked down the hall to her bedroom, her head swam with thoughts. _ How can magic _not_ be real?_ she thought. With all the books about witches, wizards, dragons, trolls, mystical animals, giants, and spells, how could it be only an illusion? Lily sighed and pushed open the door to her room.   
  
Without turning the light on, she crossed to her bed and flopped down on it. She immediately heard a rustling sound and sat straight up and quickly groped for her lamp switch. She turned it on and looked in the direction of the noise. She stifled a scream. A large tawny owl was sitting on her pillow.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~   
  
Lily's eyes widened. She took a breath to calm herself. "Hullo," she said softly to the owl, "How did you get in my room?" The owl hooted and stuck out its leg. There was a large envelope attached to it.  
  
"What's this?" asked Lily to herself. She slowly reached out to untie the envelope, half expecting the owl to fly away. It sat still on her bed, calm as could be as she untied it. As soon as it was relieved of its burden, the owl hooted and flew out the window. Lily looked down at the envelope she now held in her hands. It was a thick and looked like parchment Lily had once seen at a museum. There was an address written on the front in emerald green ink. It read:  
  
Miss Lily Evans  
  
The Pastel Green Bedroom  
  
8 Shadow Lane  
  
Lily turned the letter over. It was sealed with red wax. The emblem on the seal was a crest with a large H in the middle. Lily couldn't make out the things surrounding it. She quickly broke the seal and opened the letter. A slip of paper fluttered out and Lily read it with wide eyes.  
  


Hogwarts School   
of Witchcraft and Wizardry  
Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore  
_ (Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock,  
Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards) _

  
  
Dear Miss Evans,  
  
We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.   
  
Term begins September 1. We await you owl by no later than July 31.  
  
Yours sincerely,  
  
Minerva McGonagall  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~   
  
"Mum!" cried Lily as she bounded into her parent's bedroom, "Dad! I'm a witch! I'm a witch!"  
  
"Use your inside voice please, Lily," said her father.  
  
"Sorry," replied Lily, her voice now soft.  
  
"Now, what do you need?" asked Lily's father.  
  
"I'm a witch!" exclaimed Lily. Lily's mother sighed.   
  
"Lily, I though we talked about all that silly nonsense," she said, "None of it's real."   
  
"But I have a letter that says I am!" Lily persisted, waving the letter from Hogwarts.   
  
"Let me see that Lily," said her father. Lily handed him the letter. He looked it over, Lily's mother reading over her shoulder.  
  
"How did you get this?" questioned her father, "It certainly wasn't in the post."  
  
"An owl brought it to me," replied Lily. Lily's mother frowned.  
  
"Now Lily," she said, "You can't expect us to believe that an-." Her words were cut off by a soft _tap, tap, tap_ at the window. Lily's mother crossed to it and drew back the curtain.  
  
"Good heavens!" she cried. "Frank, it's an owl!"  
  
"I told you," said Lily.  
  
"It looks like it has something attached to its leg," added Lily's mother.  
  
"Well open the window then," said Lily's father. Lily's mother opened the window and the owl swooped into the room, landing on top of a dresser. Lily walked to it and untied the letter from its leg.  
  
"It's for you, mum," she said, handing her mother an envelope. Her mother opened it and read.  
  
"It says that this is not a hoax and it gives directions to a place called The Leaky Cauldron. It's supposed to be right here in London," she said.   
  
"Can we go?" asked Lily excitedly. "Please, please, Mummy can we go?"   
  
"It's up to you Lydia," said Lily's father. Lily's mother paused.  
  
"Well," she said slowly, "I suppose it couldn't hurt. We have to go into town anyway tomorrow." Lily shrieked with excitement and hugged her mother.  
  
"Thank you Mummy!" she cried. "I'm going to go tell 'Tunia!" Lily's father put a hand on her shoulder as she started to leave the room.  
  
"Why don't you wait till morning?" he asked.  
  
"Okay," said Lily. Her father hugged her.  
  
"Now, off to bed with you," he said. Lily nodded and made her way back to her room. She fell asleep, dreaming of being a witch and going to a new school, completely unaware of what a drastic turn her life had just taken. 


	2. Diagon Alley

A/n: Welcome to another edition of Fairy Dust 2- The Remake. Yes, I realize the last chapter was rather short, but my beginnings always suck. Hopefully, this one will be longer. Anyway, here it is.  
  
%&%&%&%&%&%&  
  
"Lily, dearest, I simply don't see any such place," Lydia Evans said to her daughter. There simply was no Leaky Cauldron to be found.  
  
"Very funny, mum," said Lily with a giggle. "You can't fool me; it's right over there." Lily pointed to a place across the street. Lydia Evans looked in the direction of her daughter's outstretched finger. It was pointing to a dingy, unobtrusive pub. A wooden sign hung over the door bearing the words "The Leaky Cauldron."  
  
Lily grabbed her mother's hand and dragged her across the street. She reached the pub and pushed open the door, pulling her mother along with her.  
  
The interior of the pub was not impressive. Rays of sunlight flitted in through dusty windows, wooden tables and chairs were scattered about the room, some occupied, and some not. There was a bar at the opposite end of the room and a balding man with glasses was wiping it down. The occupants of the pub, however, were what caught Lily's eye. They were clad in pajama looking things, robes perhaps. One woman sported a hot pink pair of these robes.  
  
When Lily and her mother had entered the pub, the talking had ceased and the occupants stared at the pair. A woman dressed in a navy blue set of robes stood and made her way to Lily.  
  
"Miss Evans?" she asked. Lily nodded. The woman smiled. Her hair was auburn and pulled back in a clip.  
  
"Hello Miss Evans, I am Rachel Jacobson," she said, "I will be your guide today and will help you get acquainted with the wizarding world." Lily shook her hand.  
  
"Hello, I'm Lydia, Lily's mother," said Lily mother as she shook the woman's hand.  
  
"Miss Jacobson?" Lily asked.  
  
"Call me Rachel," said Mrs. Jacobson.  
  
"Okay. Rachel, where are we going to buy all these things?" Lily questioned. Rachel smiled.  
  
"I'm going to take you to Diagon Alley of course," she responded with a laugh.  
  
"Dia- what?" Lily asked.  
  
"Follow me," said Rachel. She led Lily and Lydia out of the pub into a small courtyard. She took out a stick from her pocket and tapped a brick on the wall three times. Lily and her mother gasped as the bricks parted to reveal a street lined with shops and swarming with people. Rachel smiled.  
  
"This is Diagon Alley," she said. "Now, let's go to Gringotts and exchange your muggle money for wizard money."  
  
"Muggle?" asked Lily's mother.  
  
"It's nothing bad," assured Rachel, "It just means non-magical." Lydia Evans nodded. Rachel led the two down the street. Lily looked around in awe. There were shops with broomsticks hanging in the windows, owls fluttering in cages, slimy things on display for the public, and large books with golden writing.  
  
They reached a large, granite building and entered it. The interior was furnished splendidly. The things that sat behind the desks, however, were far from normal.  
  
"Goblins," whispered Rachel. Lily's eyes widened as she stared at a goblin. Lily's mother nudged her along. Rachel approached a goblin.  
  
"Hello," she said, "I'd like to open an account."  
  
"Name?" asked the goblins.  
  
"Lily Evans," replied Rachel, "We'd like to exchange muggle money."  
  
"Amount?" asked the goblin. Rachel looked to Mrs. Evans.  
  
"1500 pounds should be enough to cover her for while," said Mrs. Evans as she handed the goblin a manila envelope. The goblin dropped it in a drawer.  
  
"That comes out to be 300 galleons," he said. He handed a set of keys to Mrs. Evans. "Vault 244." Rachel motioned for Lily and her mother to follow her. She led them through a door. Lily looked around. This room was much different than the other room. It rivaled a dungeon. There was noise to their left and a cart pulled up on a track and stopped. A goblin sat at the wheel. Rachel motioned for Lily and Mrs. Evans to enter.  
  
Rachel climbed in last and the cart sped off. To Lily, it felt like a roller coaster. They sped down tunnel after tunnel before stopping in front of an iron door. They exited the cart, the goblin hobbling along with a lantern.  
  
"Key please," it said. Lily's mother handed the goblin the key. The goblin unlocked the door and opened the vault. Lily let out a gasp. Piles of gold were stacked in the vault.  
  
"How much do you think she needs, Rachel?" asked Lily's mother. Rachel took out a velvet bag and scooped some of the gold in it.  
  
"This should do," she said. Another cart ride later, the women found themselves back on the street of Diagon Alley.  
  
"Let's go get your things Lily," said Rachel.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Rachel led Lily and her mother to a small shop with a sign in peeling letters that read: Ollivanders: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 BC They had already bought the rest of Lily's supplies and were laden with packages of robes, books, potions ingredients, and other school supplies. Rachel opened the door and Lily heard a bell tinkle somewhere within the shop. She stepped inside, her mother close behind her. The shop reminded Lily of library. It had a fragile silence that would be broken if someone spoke too loudly. Dust particles reflected in the sunrays as they streamed through the window. Endless rows of boxes stacked on top of each other filled the shop.  
  
Lily heard a scuffling noise and a man with graying hair stepped forth from behind a shelf of boxes. His eyes were silvery and stared at Lily.  
  
"Hello Miss Evans," he said. Lily gulped. How did he know her name? The man, whom Lily assumed was Mr. Ollivander. The man flicked his wand and a tape measurer rose and began to measure the length of Lily's fingers, the circumference of her head, and the width of her ear. Mr. Ollivander had moved back amongst the boxes and was searching through them. He pulled one out, opened it, and gently lifted a wand from the purple lining. The tape measurer dropped and Mr. Ollivander handed her the wand.  
  
"Yew. 14 inches. Unicorn tail," he said. Lily had barely touched it when he snatched it out of her hand. He gave her another one and quickly snatched it away. And so it went for ten minutes. Lily didn't know what he was looking for. Mr. Ollivander had gone back to look among the boxes and Lily let her eyes roam over the shop.  
  
Her eyes fell on a box in a far corner, covered in cobwebs. It was as if it had been forgotten. "What about that one?" she asked, pointing to the box. Mr. Ollivander looked at it and shook his head.  
  
"No, no," he said, "That wand has been sitting here for centuries. There hasn't been a wizard or witch capable of owning it."  
  
"May I at least try it?" Lily asked. Mr. Ollivander let his gaze rest on her for a moment before nodding slightly.  
  
"I suppose it could do no harm," he said. He pulled the box down and blew away the cobwebs and dust. He carefully opened the box and handed the wand to Lily. As soon as her fingers gripped it, red sparks flew out of the end. Lily would have dropped it in surprise had it not been for a tingling sensation in her arm that compelled her to hold on. Mr. Ollivander seemed quite shocked.  
  
"Well," he said, "It seems that that wand has chosen you. Ten and a quarter inches long, willow, swishy, core of a phoenix feather." He took the wand and placed in gently in the box. He wrapped it up and Rachel helped Lily pay for it.  
  
Lily exited the shop feeling exited at the prospect of school. Rachel led Lily and her mother to through the wall and back into the Leaky Cauldron.  
  
"Thank you for helping me," said Lily as she gave Rachel a hug. Rachel smiled.  
  
"That's what I'm here for," she said. "Now you have fun at Hogwarts."  
  
"I know I will," Lily replied. 


	3. Journey to a New Life

Lily wheeled her cart down the platforms at King's cross. She had bid her parents goodbye, repeatedly assuring them that she did not need their accompaniment. She looked at the signs as she went. Platform 7, Platform 8, Platform 9. Lily's heart sped up. The next one was hers. The platform that would allow her to get on a train that would take her to a world of magic. She looked up at the next platform number.  
  
Platform 10.  
  
She looked around. Platform 9, Platform 10. No Platform 9 3/4 to be found. She sighed and sat on her trunk. Lily watched as a woman led a bespectacled boy in her direction. His hair was jet black and stuck out in every imaginable direction. The woman, who Lily assumed was the boy's mother, was tall and slim. Her hair was dark brown and pulled back in a clip. She repeatedly adjusted the vest she was wearing as if she found it uncomfortable.  
  
"Clara!" The pair stopped a few feet from where Lily sat. The woman turned around.  
  
"Violet!" she exclaimed. Lily noticed another woman walking briskly towards the pair. Her wavy black hair was short and in a bob. She was dragging a boy with shaggy black hair behind her. The women met and lightly embraced before kissing the air near each other's cheeks. The shaggy haired boy came to face the bespectacled boy.  
  
"Potter," he spat, giving the unruly haired boy an icy glare. The boy folded his arms.  
  
"Black," he replied returning the glare. The boys continued to glare at each other while their mothers chattered away happily.  
  
"And where are James's things?" asked the woman called Violet.  
  
"Oh, Thomas is bringing them," answered Clara.  
  
"Oh it's been so long since I've seen Thomas," said Violet. "How is he?"  
  
"Simply wonderful," replied Clara; "James is becoming more and more like him every day. Aren't you dear?" The woman looked at the bespectacled boy. The boys ceased their glaring and quickly threw an arm around each other's shoulder, smiling widely.  
  
"Yes mother," replied the bespectacled boy who was called James.  
  
"I think young James would make a fine gentleman if he could become half the man his admirable father is," added the other boy. The women smiled.  
  
"They're so adorable at this age," said Violet as she turned back to Clara. Clara nodded in reply and began to resume her talking with Violet. The boys immediately separated as if they had touched a hot stove.  
  
"Half the man my 'admirable' father is?" asked the boy called James sending the other boy a glare. The other boy glared back.  
  
"Well what about you with your 'Yes mother'?" he asked. "Sickening if you ask me."  
  
"I didn't ask you," said James icily. The other boy stared past James and looked straight at Lily. The glare was instantly erased and a sly grin replaced it. He sauntered over to her, smoothing his hair back as he did.  
  
"Hello love," he said, "My name is Sirius Black. But Sirius is fine." He extended his hand. Lily timidly shook it.  
  
"Lily Evans," she said, "Pleasure to meet you."  
  
"No, no," said Sirius; "The pleasure is all mine. Tell me, what are you doing looking so lonesome in the middle of King's Cross."  
  
"Well," said Lily embarrassed, "I-I'm actually lost. I'm supposed to get on a train to take me to my new school but I can't find the platform."  
  
"And what platform would that be my dear?" asked Sirius. The words were almost out of Lily's mouth before she realized how ridiculous it sounded. Who had ever heard of something such as Platform 9 3/4? She handed him her ticket.  
  
"I think it might be a fake," she said, trying to cover up for the irregular number. Sirius looked at it.  
  
"No," he said lightly, "It's not fake. Its right through there." He pointed to a solid wall. Lily raised an eyebrow.  
  
"That's a solid wall," she said.  
  
"Of course it is," replied Sirius, "But only to muggles."  
  
"Did you just say muggle?" asked Lily. Sirius shifted nervously.  
  
"It depends," he said.  
  
"I'm a witch if that's what you're worried about," said Lily, "I'm . . . what do you call it? Muggleborn? That's it." Sirius hit his head lightly.  
  
"Oh!" he exclaimed, "So that's why you didn't know about the platform. You just walk straight through the wall. At least that's what Mum says. It's my first year and I'm assuming its yours as well." Lily nodded and saw that the boy called James was still standing by his mother, looking quite bored.  
  
"Who's that?" she asked motioning to him. Sirius sent a glare in the boy's direction.  
  
"That piece of filth is James Potter," he said irritably, "Annoying, nuisance, and general pain in my behind. You don't want to associate with him. He's bad wizard."  
  
"You mean evil?" asked Lily. Sirius shook his head and chuckled.  
  
"That boy doesn't have the nerve to be evil. He's a mummy's boy," he said. Lily nodded and watched as a man with jet-black hair similar to James's walked to the group standing a few feet away from her. He was pushing a cart packed similar to the one Lily had. He kissed the woman called Clara on the cheek and Lily assumed he was the Thomas the women had been talking about earlier.  
  
"Shall we be going then?" he asked. Clara nodded.  
  
"Come James," she said. The boy followed obediently.  
  
"See what I said about him being a mummy's boy?" Sirius whispered to Lily. James seemed to overhear and glared at Sirius who stuck his tongue out in return.  
  
"Sirius Black, get over here! We are leaving!" cried the woman named Violet.  
  
"Coming mother!" replied Sirius as he quickly ran towards his mother. He said something to her that Lily couldn't hear. The woman looked towards Lily and smiled. She walked over to her.  
  
"Hello Lily," she said, "I'm Violet Black. My son tells me you're new to the world of magic." Lily nodded.  
  
"I don't know what I'm doing," she said. Violet laughed.  
  
"Quite alright," she said. "I'll help you get through the barrier. It can be frightening the first time, whether or not you come from a magical background." Lily smiled.  
  
"Thank you," she said gratefully.  
  
"No problem dear," she said, "Just follow me." She led Lily over to the barrier.  
  
"Now," she said, "All you have to do is lean against the wall and slip through when no muggles are looking. Of course, if you're nervous, and I'm sure you are, you might want to take it at a run. Sirius, be a gentleman and take the lady's trunk."  
  
"Yes Ma'am," replied Sirius as he took Lily's cart.  
  
"If you don't mind me asking," said Lily, "Where are Sirius's things?" Violet chuckled and reached into her pocket.  
  
"I shrunk them," she replied, holding her hand out so Lily could see the little bags in the palm of her hand.  
  
"That's so cool!" exclaimed Lily. Violet nodded and linked her arm with Lily.  
  
"You and I can walk through the barrier," she said. "We'll leave Sirius to follow through with the baggage." As Violet started to lead her towards the barrier, Lily could hear Sirius grumbling under his breath. She was a foot away and closed her eyes, expecting to feel her nose collide with stone. Instead, she heard a train sound its horn and opened her eyes.  
  
She was in an entirely different platform. A scarlet steam engine rested on the tracks and students were walking back in forth, some in muggle clothing, and others in robes. Lily stood in awe.  
  
"It is quite amazing isn't it?" said Violet. Lily nodded.  
  
"RUN AWAY CART!" someone cried. Lily turned to see Sirius frantically chasing after her cart. Violet sighed and pulled out a wand. Lily's eyes widened as Violet muttered something under her breath. The cart immediately stopped. Sirius, however, did not.  
  
He collided with the cart, flipping over the handle and landing flat on his back on Lily's trunk. The cart made no movement.  
  
"Let's go get your things on the train dear," said Violet to Lily, "And collect what remains of my son."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
The baggage had been stored; including Sirius's which had been unshrunken. Sirius and Lily walked down the corridor of the train looking for an empty compartment.  
  
"Oh sorry," said Lily as she accidentally bumped into another girl. The girl looked up at her with deep blue eyes partially hidden by a pair of large glasses.  
  
"I-It's okay," she said softly, clutching a book to her chest. Her hair was golden brown and pulled back in a long braid. The girl watched as Lily walked on. She sighed softly and peered into the next compartment.  
  
The only occupant was a boy with a mop of sandy brown hair. He was seated in the corner by the window and stared straight ahead at the wall. His hair looked unkempt and his clothes were not in the best condition. He was thin and pale, like someone who has just recovered from a serious illness. The girl cleared her throat softly but the boy made no movement.  
  
"D-Do you mind if I sit in here?" she asked quietly. The boy still made no movement. The girl looked around before entering the compartment and sitting down on the seat opposite from the boy in the corner closest to the door. The train gave a slight jolt as it departed from the station. The girl opened the book she was carrying and began to read. An hour went by and her eyelids started to droop. She slowly tipped over so that she was lying across the seat and fell asleep; book still clutched in her hand. It slowly slipped from her fingertips and fell to the floor.  
  
The boy, making the first move since the girl had entered the compartment, leaned down and picked it up, noting that it was worn and had probably been thumbed through hundreds of times. He opened the cover and began to read.  
  
Another hour went by and the girl began to stir. She sat up, wiping the sleep from her eyes and noticed that the boy was reading her book. She leaned back against the wall and watched him as he read. A few moments later, the boy happened to glance up and saw that the girl was awake. Quite startled, he quickly offered the book back to her. She shook her head.  
  
"No, you can read it," she said in a soft voice.  
  
"Thank you," said the boy in an equally soft voice.  
  
"You CAN talk," the girl said with a smile. The boy nodded.  
  
"Very well," he added, "I just don't have anything to say." The girl stuck out her hand.  
  
"Megan Jacobson," she said. The boy took her hand and gave it a quick shake.  
  
"Remus Lupin," he said.  
  
"Nice to meet you Remus," Megan said.  
  
"Nice too meet you too Megan," Remus replied.  
  
"Are you a first year?" asked Megan. Remus nodded. "So am I," added Megan. She looked around. "Why were you sitting in here all alone?" she asked. Remus shrugged.  
  
"I don't have any friends," he said softly. Megan smiled weakly.  
  
"That's okay," she said, "I don't either." She paused. "Want to be my friend?" she asked quietly. Remus gave a genuine smile.  
  
"I would like that very much." he said.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
The train pulled into Hogsmeade Station and Sirius quickly disembarked dragging Lily behind him.  
  
"Come on," he said as he pulled her along, "I want to see Hogwarts!"  
  
"Firs' years!" boomed a voice, "Firs' years this way!" Sirius pulled Lily to the voice. The soon came upon an enormous man with wild, tangled black hair and beard. He was easily over seven feet tall and was also quite wide around the middle. Sirius craned his head to look at him.  
  
"Wow," he said, amazed. The man looked down at him.  
  
"Wha' 'choo lookin' at?" he asked. Lily elbowed Sirius in the ribs.  
  
"Are you one of our professors?" she asked. The man let out a booming laugh.  
  
"'Course not," he said, "I'm Rubeus Hagrid, keeper of the keys at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Call me Hagrid." Sirius stuck out his hand.  
  
"Sirius Black," he said, "Prankster extrordinaire, pain in the rear end, and annoying git. Former resident of the most noble and ancient house of Black, now residing at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Call me whatever name pops into your head, most people do." Hagrid looked down at Sirius, scrutinizing him.  
  
"Merlin's beard," he muttered as he shook Sirius's hand, making Sirius shake slightly as he did so, 'What 'as the school gotten itself in teh?" He looked back up.  
  
"Firs' years this way!" he cried again, "Four ter a boat. No more unless yeh fancy a swim with the giant squid!" Sirius quickly pulled Lily into a boat that already had two occupants.  
  
A few boats over, two people, a boy and a girl, were climbing into the boat in which Remus and Megan already sat. The boy had blonde hair that was slicked back and peircing steel gray eyes. The girl had long, black hair and brown eyes. They sat across from Megan and Remus. Megan looked at the girl.  
  
"Hello," she said softly.  
  
"Hello," replied the girl. Megan slowly extended a hand.  
  
"I'm Megan Jacobson," she said.  
  
"Nicole Valencia," the girl replied taking Megan's hand. A curious thing happened. The girls' eyes met and something like a painful jolt passed between them. Both girls jumped and quickly let go now giving each other fearful looks.  
  
"That was odd," muttered the boy.  
  
"Who are you?" asked Remus softly.  
  
"Lucius Malfoy," said the boy, "You might have heard of my father. He's very important."  
  
"I'm Remus Lupin," said Remus. Lucius looked at Remus.  
  
"That's funny," he said, "I didn't know the Lupins had a son."  
  
"Y-You know my parents?" asked Remus nervously.  
  
"I believe my father works with yours at the Ministry," replied Lucius, "In a different office of course. He is senior undersecretary to the Minister of Magic. Where does your father work?"  
  
"Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures," Remus said in a whisper.  
  
"What division?" asked Lucius, inspecting his fingernails.  
  
"Beast division," Remus said in a barely audible voice.  
  
"Does he now?" commented Lucius, "I heard their most recent project is cataloging werewolves. If you ask me, they should just round them all up and ship them to a deserted island. We shouldn't have to suffer with all those filthy beasts running around."  
  
"That's not very nice!" cried Megan, her voice rising above the quiet murmur it had been, "Werewolves are people too! Just because they transform into a monster once a month, doesn't mean that they don't deserve the respect and decency given to other wizards." She took a deep breath.  
  
"Sorry," she whispered, her voice now back to its regular soft tone, "It just irritates me that people have all these prejudices." She glanced at Remus and saw that he was smiling at her. She smiled back even though she did not know why he was smiling in the first place.  
  
Back at Lily and Sirius's boat, Sirius was leaning dangerously over the side of the boat. "I saw something!" he exclaimed. He quickly moved over to the other side and leaned over.  
  
"There it is again!" he cried. He moved again to the opposite side. "It looks like a tentacle!" Lily reached out and pulled Sirius down.  
  
"Sit down! You're rocking the boat!" she cried.  
  
"Please keep your friend from doing that again," said one of the other passengers, a boy, in a cold voice.  
  
"Sorry," Lily said apologetically, "I don't think he's quite right in the head."  
  
"Aw, don't say that Lils, you just met me!" said Sirius. Lily winced at the name. "Once you get to know me, you'll find that I'm TOTALLY not right in the head," he continued.  
  
"Its okay, it was quite enjoyable," said the other passenger, a girl. Sirius stuck out his hand.  
  
"Sirius Black," he said to the girl. The girl leaned forward. Her raven hair was pulled back in a long ponytail. She had tan skin and almond shaped brown eyes.  
  
"Meredith Chen," she said, shaking Sirius's hand. "And this is-."  
  
"Snape," Sirius said, cutting her off, his voice full of ice.  
  
"You know him already?" asked Meredith. Sirius nodded.  
  
"Know him, hate him," he replied.  
  
"You do realize that I can hear everything you're saying," said the boy called Snape. He had chin length greasy hair, sallow skin, and a hooked nose.  
  
"Really?" asked Sirius, "I wasn't aware of that, Severus."  
  
"Sirius, please be nice," Lily pleaded.  
  
"Nice? To him?" asked Sirius astonished, "Never!"  
  
A/n: Well, there it is. The first three chapters of Fairy Dust 2- The Remake. Now, I'm going to do something a little different here, maybe an incentive for you to review. At the end of every chapter, I'll ask a question. Then, in your review, you can answer it. The following chapter, I'll give my views on the question. So, to start us off:  
  
What were your feelings on Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix? Did you like it or not? Why? What are some of your criticisms and what are some of your predictions for the future books?  
  
Now, review and answer the question. Don't forget to tell me what you think of my story! 


	4. The Sorting

A/n: Thanks for all your reviews! However, a few of you stated 'Sirius's mother is supposed to hate muggle-borns' etc. This I say to you:  
  
Didst thou not readeth the part in bold on chapter 2? It stated in bold letter and in caps that:  
  
**THIS STORY DOES NOT COMPLY WITH ORDER OF THE PHOENIX! I AM NOT USING THE FACTS FROM THAT!**  
  
Got your attention? Good. The original Fairy Dust was written before book 5, therefore, this being the remake of said story, I am not using that.  
  
Now, my feelings on book 5:  
  
I was disappointed. I read it the first day it came out and was utterly and completely disappointed. It took a week for Sirius's death to sink in. I was sitting on the computer (like usual) talking to a friend when it hit me. I was sitting with tears streaming down my face (being the emotional sap I am). Five months later, (a few weeks ago) I brought it along on a trip to Mexico, planning on forcing myself to read it. I read it again and grew to appreciate it a bit more. I was very happy that Lupin played a substantial role *huggles Remus plushie* I also have one thing to say:  
  
I, QDramaStr, upon this date of December 27, 2003, hereby predict that Arthur Weasley will become the next Minister of Magic.  
  
Where do I get the basis for such an outrageous prediction? If you will dig out your dust-covered copies of OOTP and turn with me (in the American version, and is just me or do I sound like a preacher?) to page 652 (second page on Chapter 29- Career Advice.) You will then see that Ron states:  
  
"We've got about as much chance of winning the Quidditch Cup this year as Dad's got of becoming Minister of Magic."  
  
And, as you know, they won.  
  
`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'``'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'  
  
The boats docked inside the castle and Lily dragged Sirius out of the boat. She had been afraid he was going to start something with Snape. She didn't know the boy, but from this first encounter with him, she didn't like him one bit. They walked up a stone staircase and found themselves inside the castle. After going up another staircase, the first years found themselves facing a stern looking witch with black hair pulled tightly into a bun.  
  
"Welcome to Hogwarts," she said, her face devoid of emotion, "My name is Professor McGonagall. The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses. The Sorting is an important ceremony because, while you are here, your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory, and spend free time in your house common room.  
  
"The four houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your house points, while any rule-breaking will lose house points," her eyes flickered to James and Sirius who gave her innocent looks which didn't suit them. "At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the house cup; a great honor. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours.  
  
"If you will wait here, I will see if we are ready for you." With a swish of her forest green cloak; she disappeared through a set of double doors.  
  
"So, what house do you want to be in?" asked a voice behind Lily. Lily turned to see James; the boy from King's Cross talking to a short, plump, and very frightened boy.  
  
"I-I don't k-k-know," he stuttered. "A-Any house w-w-would be fine f-for me."  
  
"Well I'm going to be in Gryffindor," said James.  
  
"Says who?" asked Sirius, turning around.  
  
"Says my whole family lineage," James snapped back. Sirius laughed.  
  
"You'd never get in Gryffindor in a million years, you pansy," he said. Lily tugged on Sirius's sleeve.  
  
"Sirius, leave him alone," she said.  
  
"I can't stand being near this idiot any longer," said James. He turned to the chubby boy next to him, "Come on Peter, we're leaving." He walked off and the plump boy followed him like a lost puppy. Lily turned back around and promptly bumped into someone. It was the same girl she had bumped into on the train.  
  
"Sorry." Lily said, smiling sheepishly. "That's the second time today."  
  
"It's okay," Megan replied. She quickly moved away.  
  
"Hey, I know you," Sirius said to Remus, whom had been standing near Megan.  
  
"Y-you do?" Remus asked nervously.  
  
"Yeah, you're uh . . . um . . .. You're er . . .." he snapped his fingers as he tried to think of the name. "I saw you at a Ministry ball once."  
  
"Oh," Remus replied softly. "Well then, guess you don't know me."  
  
"No, I don't," Sirius replied. Remus nodded and went to stand near Megan.  
  
"You're Sirius, aren't you?" asked a voice near Sirius. Sirius turned to see Meredith, the girl from the boat standing next to him.  
  
"Yeah," he said. Lily extended her hand to Meredith.  
  
"I'm Lily Evans," she said.  
  
"Meredith Chen," Meredith replied.  
  
"So what house do you want to be in?" Sirius asked Meredith. She shrugged.  
  
"Whatever house I get in," she replied. "It really doesn't matter."  
  
"I'm going to be in Gryffindor," said Sirius.  
  
"Really?" asked Meredith. "Are you that sure?" Sirius nodded.  
  
"What about you?" Meredith asked, glancing at Lily. Lily shrugged.  
  
"I don't know," she said. "I'm muggleborn so I really don't know much about the houses. I don't know much about anything else to do with magic, for that matter."  
  
"Did I just hear you say you were a muggleborn?" drawled a cold voice behind them.  
  
"Malfoy," spat Sirius after he turned around to see who it was.  
  
"Black," the platinum haired boy replied. Sirius glared at Malfoy.  
  
"Leave Lily alone you git," he said. Malfoy crossed to Lily and lifted her chin with his finger, only to be met with a glare from her.  
  
"Lily is it?" he asked. "What a lovely flower you are. Pity you're a-."  
  
"We are ready for you," came the voice of Professor McGonagall. Sirius shoved Malfoy away.  
  
"Who was that?" asked Lily as she walked into the Great Hall with Sirius.  
  
"Lucius Malfoy," Sirius replied. "Extremely rich, snob and git extrordinaire. You don't want to associate with him?"  
  
"Why not?" asked Lily. Sirius sighed.  
  
"Although it's never been proven, the name Malfoy is commonly synonymous with dark magic," he said.  
  
"There's dark magic?" Lily inquired. Sirius nodded.  
  
"Sadly, yes," he said. "There's a wizard who's been practicing the dark arts for years. He's recently started to terrorize people."  
  
"Who is he?"  
  
"You-Know-Who."  
  
"No," said Lily, "I don't know who. That's why I asked."  
  
"Come on Lily," Sirius said, "_ You know who._"  
  
"No," Lily replied, "I really, really don't know who." Sirius groaned.  
  
"His name is . . . well," he trailed off, "People don't like saying his name. Personally, I could care less. Everyone just freaks out when they hear it."  
  
"I won't freak out," Lily said. "Just tell me and I'll never ask you again." Sirius leaned close and whispered in her ear.  
  
"Voldemort," he said. Lily nodded.  
  
"Volde-," Sirius put his hands over her mouth.  
  
"Sshh!" he hissed. "Don't say it aloud."  
  
"Sorry," Lily said. She looked around. "This place is amazing!" The ceiling of the hall was dark, with clouds swirling as if a storm was brewing. Four long tables were set in the hall, with one long one set facing them. At this table, many older wizards and witches sat. These were the professors. At the center of all the professors was the headmaster, Albus Dumbledore. He wore midnight blue robes and his hair was long and silver.  
  
Professor McGonagall set a three-legged stool in front of the high table. On top of it, she placed a hat that was very well worn and tattered around the brim.  
  
"What is that?" Lily whispered to Sirius. Sirius shrugged.  
  
"I have no idea," he answered. Before Lily's eyes, the brim of the hat opened just like a mouth and began to sing.  
  
(A/n: Sorry guys, no song. I'm not THAT creative.)  
  
The Great Hall burst into thunderous applause as that hat finished. Professor McGonagall cleared her throat. "When I call your names, you will come up to the stool and place the hat on your head."  
  
"I certainly hope no one has lice," said a girl with flaxen hair and gray eyes. Sirius turned to her.  
  
"Shut up Narcissa," he said. The girl stuck her tongue out at him. Sirius turned back to Lily "All we have to do is try on a stupid hat to get sorted!" he said, "My cousin told me we had to make a centaur disappear!"  
  
"How is that hat going to sort us?" Lily asked.  
  
"Beats me," Sirius replied.  
  
"Abbott, David." A blond boy standing near Lily and Sirius gulped and slowly made his way through the crowd to sit on the stool. He put the hat over his head.  
  
"HUFFLEPUFF!" the hat shouted a few seconds later. A table with a yellow banner and a badger broke into applause.  
  
"The hat talks!" Lily exclaimed. Sirius nodded.  
  
"Even in the wizarding world, that's kind of unusual," he said.  
  
"Anderson, Cliff."  
  
"RAVENCLAW!" The Ravenclaw table cheered.  
  
"Black, Sirius." Sirius's eyes widened and he gulped. Lily nudged him.  
  
"Go," she hissed. He nodded.  
  
"Right," he said. He made his way to the stool and set the hat on his head.  
  
"GRYFFINDOR!" Sirius jumped up and punched fist in the air as the Gryffindor table applauded. He executed a bow and went to sit with the Gryffindors. Lily heard someone grumbling behind her and turned to see James, looking angry that Sirius had gotten into the house he wanted. Lily giggled and James glared at her.  
  
"What're you laughing at?" he spat.  
  
"You," she replied. "You're whining just because Sirius got into Gryffindor."  
  
"Yeah . . . well, shut up," he retorted. Lily rolled her eyes as "Chen, Meredith" was called. Meredith skipped up to the hat and put it on her head.  
  
"SLYTHERIN!" She took off the hat and went to sit at the Slytherin table.   
  
"Crabbe, Simon." "SLYTHERIN!"  
  
"Daniels, Gretchen." A girl with buckteeth made her way to the hat and put it on.  
  
"HUFFLEPUFF!"  
  
"Evans, Lily." Lily gulped and made her way to the hat, knowing that every eye was on her. She sat on the stool and slipped the hat over her head.  
  
"A brilliant mind," said a voice in her ear. "You'd do well in Ravenclaw. You have compassion for others; Hufflepuff would suit you as well. I think you shall be- wait, what is this? Ah yes, now I see. The only place for you is GRYFFINDOR!" Lily removed the hat, confused at what had just taken place. She saw Sirius whistling and quickly went to sit with him.  
  
"Wait to go Lils!" Sirius said. "We're housemates!"   
  
"Great," Lily replied. Sirius laughed. "You know you're glad."  
  
"I guess so," she said, "At least I know someone in my house." Lily remembered the sorting was still going on when she heard "Jacobson, Megan," be called. Lily turned to see the girl she had a habit of bumping into making her way towards the stool. She put the hat on her head.  
  
"GRYFFINDOR!" the hat bellowed. The girl removed the hat looking greatly relieved. As "Johnson, Annette" was called; Lily saw Megan glance back at the headmaster. The headmaster smiled at her and she went to sit at the Gryffindor table.  
  
"RAVENCLAW!" shouted the hat, and "Johnson, Annette" went to sit with the Ravenclaws.  
  
"Kilrain, Rian." A menacing looking boy with black hair strode up to the hat.  
  
"SLYTHERIN!"   
  
"Larson, Gwen."  
  
"GRYFFINDOR!"  
  
"Lupin, Remus." The boy Sirius had talked to while they were waiting to be let in the Great Hall put the hat on his head.  
  
"GRYFFINDOR!"   
  
"Malfoy, Lucius." A boy with platinum blonde hair swaggered towards the hat and placed it on his head.  
  
"SLYTHERIN!" the hat shouted immediately. Sirius snorted.  
  
"Only house that'd take him I bet," he said. Lily listened to Sirius complain about how annoying Malfoy was until "Pettigrew, Peter" was called.   
  
"That's that kid who was hanging out with James," Sirius said. "Looks like a Hufflepuff to me."  
  
"GRYFFINDOR!" The hat shouted.   
  
"Apparently he's not," Lily replied.  
  
"Potter, James." Sirius closed his eyes and crossed his fingers.  
  
"Please Not Gryffindor," he muttered, "Please not Gryffindor, please not Gryffindor."  
  
"GRYFFINDOR!" Sirius slammed his head on the table.  
  
"No!" he cried. Lily patted him on the back.  
  
"I'm sure it's not going to be that bad," she said.  
  
"I'm going to have to share a room with him for seven years!" Sirius whined.  
  
"I'm not too pleased about it either," James called from down the table.  
  
"Good hearing, that one," Sirius muttered.  
  
"I heard that!" Lily rested her head in her hand and listened to Sirius complain until he said "Oh look, it's Snape. He better not get into Gryffindor or I'm transferring." Indeed, the greasy haired boy from the boat was sitting down on the stool.  
  
"SLYTHERIN!"  
  
"And good riddance," Sirius said, breathing a sigh of relief. Lily rolled her eyes.  
  
"You really don't like a lot of people, do you?" she asked as "Sunders, Philip" became a Ravenclaw.   
  
"Nope," Sirius replied, "They're all evil." Lily shook her head.  
  
"How do you know I'm not evil?" she asked.  
  
"You're too pretty to be evil," he said, winking at her. Lily laughed and rolled her eyes.  
  
"Yeah," she said sarcastically, "That's it."  
  
"Thompson, Molly."  
  
"HUFFLEPUFF!"  
  
"Valencia, Nicole."  
  
"SLYTHERIN!"  
  
"Walker, Narcissa."  
  
"SLYTHERIN."  
  
"Watson, Thomas."  
  
"RAVENCLAW!"  
  
"Wilson, Melinda."  
  
"GRYFFINDOR!" Lily sighed. The sorting had begun to get boring, but that was the last person. Professor McGonagall rolled up the scroll and took the stool and hat away. Professor Dumbledore stood and clapped his hands for silence.  
  
"Welcome new and returning students," he said, "I'm sure you are all ready and anxious to learn." There were a few laughs. "Before the feast, a few rules and announcements. Mr. Filch would like to remind everyone that there is no magic in the corridors. I would also like to remind students that any threats of hanging from the ceiling by your ankles made by Mr. Filch are not to be taken to heart. Also, that the Forbidden Forest is strictly forbidden.   
  
"I'd like to introduce to you your head boy and head girl, Mr. Rowan Jacobson and Miss Tia Campbell." A seventh year boy with a mop of brown hair stood from the Gryffindor table and smiled. A seventh year girl with auburn hair stood from the Ravenclaw table and waved. They sat down.   
  
"That is all there is to say, so tuck in!" finished Dumbledore.  
`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`  
  
A/n: I'm done! Finally! Hehe, I realize this has taken a LONG time to write but I've been busy with the holidays and schoolwork, tests, projects, etc. And to be frank, the creative stream is running low. I really don't have any idea of what I'm going to do for these first few years. I'm most likely going to have to resort to plan B. *Looks at Mer and Nicole* You know I love you guys. *Watches as they run away* Fine! Be like that! As soon as I hit fifth year or so, I've got everything in my head, so I'll be putting chapters out like crazy.  
  
Anyway, question for the chapter: I need a new name for this story. _Fairy Dust-2 The Remake_ just isn't going to cut it. I'm thinking of "The Only One He Ever Loved." Works in multiple ways. Like it? Tell me. Got a better idea? Tell me that too and if I like it and decide to use it, there can be wonderful and fabulous prizes in store for you.  
  
Okay, just a guest appearance. But what isn't wonder and fabulous about that?  
  



	5. Bedrooms and Brothers

Lily dragged Sirius down the hallway. "Come on slowpoke, we're falling behind!" she said. "Can't you walk any faster?" They were following the rest of the Gryffindors to the common room. Sirius groaned.  
  
"Lily, when you eat as much as I did, this is as fast as you go," he said. "Besides I'm in no hurry to get to my dorm."  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"Potter," was his answer. Lily rolled her eyes.  
  
"You two are going to have to get along sooner or later," she said.  
  
"Not if I can help it," Sirius replied. They reached the group of Gryffindors. They were gathered in front of a portrait of a fat lady in a pink dress.  
  
"What're we doing here?" Lily asked. Sirius shrugged.  
  
"Beats me," he said.  
  
"Now listen up everyone," said the tall seventh year that had been introduced as the head boy. "This is the entrance to the Gryffindor common room. The staircase on the left is the boys', and the one on the right is the girls'. You need a password every time you want to get in. The password now is 'Pixie'. If the password is changed, you will be notified."  
  
"Password?" the portrait asked.  
  
"Pixie," said the boy. The portrait swung open to reveal a circular room filled with squashy chairs. The students filed into the common room. The boy put a hand on Megan's shoulder as she walked by.  
  
"Where do you think you're going?" he asked as the rest of the students went into the common room. Remus looked up at the boy now detaining Megan from entering the common room.  
  
"She hasn't done anything," he said timidly. "And she's in Gryffindor." The boy chuckled.  
  
"I know that," he said smiling.  
  
"Relax Remus," Megan said, "He's my brother."  
  
"You have a brother?" Remus asked.  
  
"Unfortunately," Megan replied. Her brother laughed and pulled her into a hug.  
  
"You know you love me," he said.  
  
"You know I do Ro," she said. She pulled away. "Remus, this is my brother Rowan, Rowan, this is my new friend Remus." Rowan shook Remus's hand and looked at him, as though he was sizing him up.  
  
"Pleasure to meet you," he said finally.  
  
"Likewise," Remus said. "You're head boy?" Rowan laughed.  
  
"It's not something I brag about," he said.  
  
"Yes it is," Megan said, smiling. Rowan ruffled her hair.  
  
"Quiet you," he said. He bent down so he was level with her. "Hey, I'm proud of you."  
  
"For what?" Megan asked.  
  
"Getting into Gryffindor," he said. "Mum and dad will be too." He hugged her again. "My baby sister at Hogwarts, heaven help us." He released her and straightened. "It's off to bed with you now."  
  
"Yes father," Megan replied, rolling her eyes. She entered the common room. Remus moved to follow her, but Rowan stopped him.  
  
"Be nice to her," he said, leaving an unspoken 'or else' at the and. Remus nodded.  
  
"I will," he replied. Rowan nodded.  
  
"You'd better be getting to bed as well," he added, "Mr. Lupin." Remus raised an eyebrow.  
  
"How'd you know my last name?" he asked. Rowan smiled.  
  
"You don't need to worry about that," he said as he ushered him into the common room. "However, it is time for all of you to be in bed." He looked pointedly at Megan who was waiting there. She had a suspicious look on her face.  
  
"What?" Rowan asked innocently.  
  
"I wanted to say good night to Remus," Megan replied. She turned to Remus and smiled. "Good night," she said. Remus smiled back at her.  
  
"Good night," he replied. He made his way up the boys' staircase.  
  
"So," Rowan said, giving his sister a grin as he leaned against the back of a chair and casually folded his arms, "When's the wedding date?"  
  
"October 18," she replied sarcastically. "There isn't one," she said, smacking him lightly on the arm. She pointed an accusing finger at him. "You were giving him the be-nice-to-my-little-sister-or-I'll-grind-you-into- dust talk, weren't you?"  
  
"I have no idea what you're talking about," Rowan replied.  
  
"You were!" she cried. "Ro, how many times do I have to tell you? You don't need to look after me." Rowan smiled and put an arm around her shoulder.  
  
"I'm your big brother," he said. "It's my job." Megan sighed and hugged him.  
  
"I know," she said. Rowan put his hands on her shoulders and looked at her.  
  
"Megan I want you to promise me you'll be careful around that boy," he said. Megan raised an eyebrow.  
  
"What do you- Rowan, I'm only eleven and he's my friend!" she exclaimed. Rowan shook his head.  
  
"I didn't mean that," he said. "I meant that if he's ever irritable, you need to stay away from him, and if he's ever sick looking, you can't ask any questions."  
  
"Rowan, what're you tal-."  
  
"If he ever says that he has to do something or go somewhere by himself, you let him, and you do not go with him or follow him," he looked into her eyes, "Promise me, Megan."  
  
"I promise," she said softly. "Do you know something about him?" Rowan nodded.  
  
"I can't tell you though, and I don't want you bugging me about it because I won't," he said. "I normally tell you everything but this is one thing I have to keep to myself. Understand?" She nodded.  
  
"Good," he said.  
  
"I'm going to bed now," she said, giving him one last hug, "Night, Ro."  
  
"Night Megs," he said, ruffling her hair again.  
  
"Don't call me that," she said as she walked up the stairs.  
  
"Whatever you say, little sister," he replied with a smile.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Lily folded her clothes and placed them in her trunk. She sat on her bed and looked around the dormitory. There were four four-poster beds with deep red curtains. The thick down comforter on the beds was also a deep scarlet. The girl on her left was sitting on her bed, brushing her waist- length blonde hair. The bed to Lily's right was empty; the girl had not yet come into the dormitory. On the following bed, a girl with short black hair was looking in a hand held mirror.  
  
The door to the dormitory opened and the missing girl entered. Lily and the other occupants looked up at her. "I was . . . er . . . talking to my brother," she mumbled. She quickly crossed to the empty bed and sat on it.  
  
"I've been bumping into you all day," Lily said, "So I guess it's about time I introduce myself." She stuck out her hand. "Lily Evans."  
  
"Megan Jacobson," she girl replied softly, shaking Lily's hand.  
  
"Jacobson?" Lily asked. "Your mother wouldn't happen to be Rachel Jacobson, would she?" The girl nodded.  
  
"Step mum, actually," she said.  
  
"She showed me around Diagon Alley," Lily said. "She was very helpful."  
  
"So you're muggleborn then?" Megan asked. Lily nodded. "Every year the ministry asks for volunteers to show muggleborns around Diagon Alley," Megan continued. "This year my mum volunteered."  
  
"Tell her I said thanks, please," Lily said. "She was a great help."  
  
"I'll do that," Megan replied.  
  
"Your brother is the Head Boy, isn't he?" the girl with the long blonde hair asked of Megan.  
  
"He is," Megan replied. "And you are?"  
  
"Melinda Wilson," she said.  
  
"Your brother's rather cute," said the girl with the short black hair. "I'm Gwen Larson."  
  
"Umm . . . thank you?" Megan asked.  
  
"I think we should all go to bed," Lily said, interrupting the two girls. "Tomorrow we start classes."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"I AM NOT SLEEPING NEXT TO HIM!" Sirius roared. He had discovered upon entering the dorm room that his trunk was placed at the foot of the bed next to James's.  
  
"I'm not happy about it either," James spat. "You'll probably try to strangle me in my sleep." Sirius scoffed.  
  
"Only if you don't get me first," he said. Sirius turned to the boy on his right who was rummaging through his trunk.  
  
"Hey you," he said. Remus poked his head out of his trunk.  
  
"I have a name," he said. "And it's Remus Lupin."  
  
"Whatever," Sirius said, "Just switch with me."  
  
"I think we were placed in these beds for a reason," Remus replied. "So no, I won't switch with you." Sirius sighed.  
  
James turned to the chubby boy sitting on the bed to his left. "Peter, switch with me," he said.  
  
"I-I-I don't k-know," Peter replied. "I-If we're not s-supposed to, I- I-I don't want to get in t-trouble."  
  
"Just do it!" James yelled. The door to the room flung open and Rowan stepped in.  
  
"What's all the yelling for?" he asked.  
  
"Whoever brought our stuff up put me next to him," Sirius spat, pointing a finger at James.  
  
"You act as though I'm happy about this," James said.  
  
"Oh shut up," said Sirius.  
  
"Make me," James replied.  
  
"Gladly," Sirius said, taking a step towards James. Rowan quickly stepped between the two.  
  
"Enough!" he cried. He pointed at Sirius. "You sit on your bed, and Potter, you sit on yours." The boys sat on their respective beds, grumbling. Rowan folded his arms.  
  
"Now there will be no switching beds or any more commotion," he said. "Whether you like it or not, you two are stuck together for the next seven years so I suggest you either make peace in whatever silly argument you have or ignore each other completely." He crossed to the door.  
  
"I don't want to hear another word from either of your mouths for the rest of the night or I will make sure that you both get detentions. I suggest you all get some sleep; classes begin tomorrow. Good night to you, Mr. Pettigrew and Mr. Lupin; I beg your pardon for disturbing you. As for you two," he looked towards Sirius and James, "Remember what I said. Good night to you all." He shut the door.  
  
Sirius sighed and buried his face in his pillow. "Seven years!" he groaned.  
  
`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'  
  
A/n: Okay, there is it. A bit short, but at least it's an update. Okay, question:  
  
I'm repeating the last question seeing as how only THREE people reviewed. *grumbles* And two of them are my friends. Anyway:  
  
What would you suggest this story be called? I've been thinking 'The Only One He Ever Loved.' Tell me what you think of that. Again, if one of you comes up with one I like better and I end up using it, you will be handsomely rewarded with a guest appearance in a future chapter. This story will be along the same lines as the original Fairy Dust, so you have an idea of what will happen.  
  
You know the drill, push the little button and REVIEW! 


	6. New Plans, Assigned Seats, and Cheaters

A/n: Hey everyone, sorry for the wait. Again, icky finals, lack of creativeness, and all-around laziness. Another name I'm considering is 'Always and Forever.' It'll make sense later . . . Anyway . . . *stares at blinking line* Oh yeah. The story . . .  
  
P.S. One of you reviewers (look, someone actually reviewed, yay!) commented on Rowan knowing about Remus's condition. I don't like it either, but if you look at it, it makes sense:  
  
He's Head Boy.  
  
He's a Gryffindor.  
  
3) He's Dumbledore's grandson. *looks at all the gasping readers* What? Like you couldn't have already figured it out from FD1.  
  
`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`''`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`  
  
Lily woke the next morning to sunlight streaming through the windows. She sat up and rubbed her eyes before looking around. The girl with the glasses was already gone, but the two other girls were still sleeping.  
  
Lily climbed out of bed and made her way to the bathroom. After quickly showering and brushing her teeth, she dressed and went down to the Great Hall.  
  
After getting lost twice and accidentally bumping into a sixth year Ravenclaw, she finally entered the Great Hall. She sat at the Gryffindor table and saw that her roommate with the glasses was already there and was talking to the head boy, a thin boy with light brown hair sitting next to her.  
  
Lily looked to her right as Sirius sat next to her. He promptly slammed his head on the table and groaned.  
  
"I didn't sleep a wink last night," he complained. "I just knew that Potter was going to try something."  
  
"Did he?"  
  
"No." At that moment, James Potter sat at the table across from them, slamming his head down as well.  
  
"Black," he grumbled. "I know you're planning something. I didn't sleep a wink last night because I knew you were going to do something."  
  
"Did I?" Sirius asked.  
  
"No," James replied. "But this is all part of your plan. You want to lull me into a false sense of security, then attack when I least expect it."  
  
"You think too much, Potter," Sirius said.  
  
"Better than thinking too little," James retorted. He stood and moved farther down the table to sit with his chubby friend. Sirius stood.  
  
"Where are you going?" Lily asked.  
  
"I have to rethink my plan," Sirius said as he walked out of the Great Hall. "Stupid Potter figured it out."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Welcome to Transfiguration," Professor McGonagall, the witch who brought them into the Great Hall for the sorting. The first year Gryffindors and Slytherins were gathered in the Transfiguration classroom.  
  
"This year you will be learning the basic form of Transfiguration," the professor continued. " There are two to a desk and I will be assigning your seats for the first year so that you may become better acquainted with those around you." Several people groaned. "It is only for this year," Professor McGonagall said. She pulled out a list of parchment and began to read, pointing to a different desk as she went along.  
  
"Mr. Malfoy and Miss Evans, Mr. Snape and Mr. Potter, Miss Walker and Miss Valencia, Miss Chen and Mr. Pettigrew, Miss Jacobson and Mr. Black, Miss Larson and Mr. Goyle, Miss Wilson and Mr. Crabbe, and Mr. Lupin and Mr. Kilrain," she said. She rolled up the piece of parchment. "Well, what are you waiting for?" The students quickly got up and moved to their new seats.  
  
Lily was sitting next to a platinum blonde boy with steel gray eyes. He turned to her. "Lucius Malfoy," he said.  
  
"Lily Evans," she replied timidly. The boy turned forward, obviously not interested in her. Lily sighed and glanced at Sirius who was sitting at a table near her with one of her roommates.  
  
"Hi, I'm Sirius," he said to girl.  
  
"I'm Megan," she replied softly.  
  
"That's cool," Sirius replied. "You're a Gryffindor, right?" Megan nodded. "Wicked," Sirius continued. "We're in the same house. I guess we'll be seeing a lot of each other." Megan nodded again.  
  
Lily continued looking around the room. James was sending a death glare at the greasy Slytherin boy. Her two other roommates were looking in disgust at their partners who both looked oddly like trolls. James's chubby friend was looking quite scared as Meredith, the girl from the boat, talked animatedly to him. The other Gryffindor boy, whom Lily recognized as the one who was friends with her quiet roommate was sitting silently at his seat with a black haired, bad tempered looking boy. Two other Slytherin girls were sitting together, the one with black hair looking greatly annoyed at the one with blonde hair.  
  
"Now, as some of you know, the basic concept of Transfiguration is changing one thing into another," Professor McGonagall said. "This being your first year, we are going to start out simple by changing matchsticks into needles and things like that."  
  
"Aw, when do we get to do the cool stuff?" Sirius whined. The professor glared at him.  
  
"Mr. Black, is it?" she asked. Sirius nodded. McGonagall sighed. "In order to do the "cool stuff" you must learn the basics first."  
  
"This is going to be a long year," Sirius muttered.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Sirius, have you done your potions essay yet?" Lily asked. They were sitting in the common room and Sirius was munching on a chocolate frog.  
  
"Of course not," Sirius said. "It's not due till next week."  
  
"It's due tomorrow."  
  
"Lily, don't joke," Sirius said warningly. "I'm the funny one around here. It's due next Thursday."  
  
"Sirius, it was due next Thursday LAST Thursday," Lily replied. Sirius raised an eyebrow.  
  
"You," he said to a boy sitting in an armchair near them. "Remus, was it?"  
  
"Yes," Remus replied.  
  
"When's our potions essay due?" Sirius asked.  
  
"Tomorrow."  
  
"Damn," Sirius replied. He quickly got up and ran up the stairs to his dorm. Lily laughed.  
  
"That'll teach him to put off his homework," she said. She turned to Remus. "Have you done your essay?"  
  
"Of course," Remus replied.  
  
"You're Remus, right?" You're friends with one of my roommates? The quiet one," Lily said.  
  
"Yes, I'm Remus. Her name's Megan."  
  
"That's right," Lily said. "Megan. I'm Lily."  
  
"Hi Lily," Remus said softly. "Nice to meet you."  
  
"Nice to meet you too," Lily said.  
  
"PETER!" a voice cried out. Lily turned to see James Potter entering the portrait hole. The chubby boy scurried over to him.  
  
"Y-yes James?" he asked.  
  
"Peter, why didn't you tell me the potions essay was due tomorrow?" James asked.  
  
"I-I did," Peter said timidly.  
  
"No you didn't!" James cried. "No matter, let me have yours."  
  
"B-But then I-I won't have one," Peter said.  
  
"So write another one," James replied as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Lily stood and crossed to him.  
  
"I don't think that's fair," Lily said. "He probably worked hard on it."  
  
"I don't care what you think," James replied. "It's Peter's fault I didn't know. I told him to remind me. So he should give me his essay."  
  
"I-I'm sorry," Peter mumbled, reaching in his bag for a role of parchment.  
  
"Don't you dare take that out," Lily said to Peter. "Potter, it's YOUR fault you didn't know, and it'll be YOUR fault when you don't have it done."  
  
"Peter, just give me the damn essay!" James cried.  
  
"What's going on here?" a voice asked. Lily turned to see the tall brown haired seventh year entering the common room holding the hand of blonde girl. He turned to her.  
  
"See you later Jeanette," he said, quickly kissing her cheek. "Head Boy duties call." The girl put on a pouting face.  
  
"The always do," she said, giving him a small smile before walking away. The boy turned to face the first years.  
  
"Not you again," James groaned.  
  
"Yes, me again," said Rowan. "Now what's going on?"  
  
"Potter's trying to steal someone's work," Lily said.  
  
"I am not!" James protested.  
  
"Yes you are!" Lily replied. "I just listened to you screaming at this boy to give you his essay."  
  
"You're insane," James said.  
  
"Is this true?" Rowan asked Peter. Peter looked around nervously.  
  
"Um . . . um . . . ye- . . . I mean . . . n- . . . er . . ."  
  
"Mr. Pettigrew, I promise I won't punish Mr. Potter," Rowan said. "But you need to tell me the truth."  
  
"Yes," Peter replied, looking at the ground. "It's true."  
  
"Peter!" James cried. "You rat!"  
  
"That's enough!" Rowan said sternly. He grabbed the shoulder of James's shirt and started to pull him out of the common room.  
  
"Hey!" James exclaimed. "You said you weren't going to punish me!"  
  
"I'm not," Rowan replied. "Professor McGonagall is. Cheating is a very serious offense." Rowan dragged a grumbling James out of the common room.  
  
"You did the right thing," Lily said to Peter. Peter gulped.  
  
`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`  
  
A/n: Well that's it. It sucks. But hey, it's there. I'm really sorry but I don't know when I'll have the next chapter. *sighs* So much stuff . . .  
  
If you want to be on a mailing list so I can email you when I put up a new chapter (or excuses for not doing so ;) ) then leave your email in your review.  
  
Yes, REVIEW! I command thee!  
  
Now, the question for this chapter . . .  
  
~~~~~~ What are you most anxious to see in Prisoner of Azkaban? Don't forget, it comes out on June 4! ~~~~~~ 


	7. Head Wounds and Flying Lessons

A/n: Really, really sorry guys. So much stuff going on. 'Tis craziness. Thank you to my faithful readers and reviewers. You guys rock my socks! Let's see, who gets cookies?  
  
YOU ALL GET COOKIES! tosses out cookies to all her reviewers before slipping a couple extra to The Marauders3 and Merikins  
  
For the movie, I am most looking forward to seeing Remus (duh). Have any of you seen movie stills of him? HE HAS A MOUSTACHE! rips the damned thing off Clean-shaven Remus.  
  
Special cookies to Mer for writing the first part of this. Where would I be without you?  
  
Slightly less insane.   
  
But only slightly.  
  
''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''' ''''''''''''''''  
  
James was in a particularly foul mood from the previous night. Professor McGonagall had given him a detention for the upcoming weekend, ruining his plans of trying to think up some brilliant plot against Sirius Black. He sat on his stool glaring in turn at Lily Evans for telling the Head Boy, at Sirius Black for existing, at Megan Jacobson for being related to the Head Boy, at Peter for not surrendering his essay quietly, the previous night, and back at Sirius. In other words, he was mad at everyone around him.   
  
Lily and Sirius walked into the dungeon and took their seats moments before the bell rang, signaling for class to begin. The Slytherins were all already in their seats, relaxed for class while the Gryffindors sat nervously, occasionally glancing at the Slytherins as if they were about to do something dangerous.   
  
BANG!   
  
A door near the front of the classroom swung open and in swept Professor Arlington. She was an older woman, along the lines of eighty. Her curly, snow-white hair was clipped short and a veil of bangs fell into her violet eyes.   
  
"Class, pull out your essays which were due today," she said, her voice crisp yet quiet. The room was soon filled with the sound of rustling parchment as each Gryffindor with the exception of James, pulled out their homework. The Slytherins sat, each with almost a bored expression upon their face, and waited for their teacher's next command as their essays were already out and ready to be passed in.   
  
"Mr. Potter, where may I ask is your homework?" Professor Arlington asked in a cool voice.   
  
"Don't have it," he responded moodily.   
  
"You don't have it," the professor repeated. "And why not? I believe I clearly stated that these essays were due 'next Thursday', which coincidentally is today."   
  
"I forgot," James said.

"I see... See me after class, Mr. Potter," Professor Arlington instructed before collecting the papers. "Class, today you will be working in groups to make the potion that is up on the board. The instructions are all there and ingredients are in the student cupboard. You should have no problem brewing this. I'm putting you in groups to so you can help each other and hopefully catch each other's mistakes before things get too out of hand," she said glancing at Peter. "You'll be put in groups of three. I'm only going to announce these groups once so listen up.   
  
"Chen, Valencia, and Potter."   
  
"Crabbe, Larson, and Wilson."   
  
"Kilrain, Jacobson, and Pettigrew."   
  
"Malfoy, Black, and Lupin."   
  
"Snape, Evans, and Walker. That's all of you lot. Now get to work!"   
  
A half an hour later the groups were not doing so well. Lucius and Sirius stood, practically nose-to-nose almost on the brink of yelling. The third member of their group, Remus sat and was actually still working on the potion, ignoring the other two. Rian Kilrain was sitting on his stool with a leering look on his face as he eyed his group mates, particularly Megan. Peter was no help to Megan as she tried to brew the potion and was literally trembling under Rian's glare.   
  
"Peter, just ignore him. If he's not going to help us then ignore him and help me with the potion," Megan said softly. Peter didn't respond   
  
Gwen and Melissa weren't even paying attention to their potion. They sat there gossiping about the latest trends and fashions. Simon Crabbe seemed to be listening to their conversation with slight interest.   
  
"Listen Potter! We don't want to listen to you and your ego. So shut up about yourself and help with the potion!" Meredith Chen was yelling at James. His eyes bugged slightly at the thought of someone dared to speak to him in such a manner but the Slytherin continued before he could speak. "I don't care if you're the Minister of Magic himself, you need to shut up! Honestly, you've got an ego twice the size of this castle."   
  
"A Slytherin dares to talk to me like that?!" James was outraged.   
  
"That's right! A Slytherin! And I bet the fact that I'm a girl makes you even more pi-"   
  
"Meredith," a low, steady voice broke in. The arguing pair looked over to their other partner, Nicole Valencia. "Just drop it. Obviously this prat must vent his moodiness upon someone. We're just the ones around instead of the usual pathetic group of Gryffindors."   
  
James opened his mouth to respond but was interrupted by the noise of a cauldron hitting the stone floor. Sirius had gotten tired of Malfoy's talking and threw his cauldron at his head.  
  
"Mr. Black!" the professor cried, storming over to the table. "What in Merlin's name did you do that for?" Sirius shrugged and lightly nudged the now-unconscious body of Lucius Malfoy with his foot.  
  
"Boy's a git," he replied.  
  
"TWENTY POINTS FROM GRYFFINDOR!" the professor roared. A few people gasped. Remus fell off his stool and Peter dropped the potion.  
  
"Oh no," Megan mumbled, bending down and starting to clean it up. The professor grabbed Sirius by the ear and dragged him out of the class.  
  
"I will not tolerate violence in my classroom," she said. She sat him outside the door of the classroom. "Stay here until the end of class. Then we will discuss your punishment." She strolled back into the classroom.  
  
"Please forgive me for my outburst," Professor Arlington said, smoothing back a strand of hair. She spotted Megan and Peter on the floor frantically trying to clean up the contents of their potion. The professor waved her wand and it instantly cleaned up.  
  
"No need to worry about that dears," she said. "We were just practicing today. It won't count for points." She sighed. "Everyone clean up! I must attend to Mr. Malfoy here." Lily quickly rinsed out her cauldron and gathered her things.  
  
"Oh! Sorry!" she exclaimed after she bumped into her bespectacled roommate.  
  
"It's okay," Megan replied, looking at the ground and adjusting her glasses.  
  
"Hey!" a voice called. Megan and Lily turned to see the tall, burly, black-haired Slytherin boy. He stalked towards Megan. Megan's eyes widened to the size of saucers and she took a step back, trembling violently.  
  
"You forgot this," Rian said softly, holding out a quill. Megan slowly reached out a hand and took it from him.  
  
"T-t-thank you," she stuttered.  
  
"Anytime," the boy replied, moving past the girls. Lily poked Megan.  
  
"You can stop shaking now," she said. "He's gone." Megan squeaked and jumped at being poked.  
  
"Oh . . . yes . . . sorry. I suppose I was just a little frightened," she mumbled, making her way past Lily and joining up with the brown haired boy Lily recognized as Remus.  
  
"Strange girl," Lily said to herself before leaving the classroom.  
  
'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''  
  
"FLYING!" someone screamed. Lily's head snapped to see James Potter staring wide-eyed at a piece of paper on the common room bulletin board. "WE'RE HAVING FLYING LESSONS!"  
  
"No way!" Sirius cried, shoving James out of the way so he could look at the paper. "We are! I am the best flyer in the world!"  
  
"You are not," James replied. "I am."  
  
"Are not," Sirius retorted.  
  
"Are too."  
  
"Are not."  
  
"Are too."  
  
"Are not not not."  
  
"Are too too too too."  
  
"Are not not not not no-"  
  
"Will you two please be quiet?" Lily cried. "Honestly, I can't even think with you two arguing."  
  
"Sorry Lils," Sirius said. James merely rolled his eyes.  
  
"Whatever. I'm still the best flyer," he said as he walked out of the room. Sirius narrowed his eyes and levitated a large book towards James.  
  
"Sirius, you've already gotten detention for knocking out one person today," Lily said. "Do you really want another?" The book dropped with a loud clunk.  
  
"Can you believe it?!" Sirius cried. "They're making me do my detention with Potter!" Lily raised an eyebrow.  
  
"Wow Sirius, you two fight all the time. What reason could they possibly have for doing that?" Lily asked, her voice dripping with sarcasm.  
  
"Shut up, Lily."  
  
''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''' '''''''''''''''''  
  
A/n: Terribly short, I know. But at least it's something. Sorry for this taking AGES to do but it's the usual excuse: Homework, FFA, homework, choir, homework, tests, laziness, homework, lack of creativity, and did I mention . . . homework?  
  
But as of right now, there are only 14 SCHOOL DAYS LEFT.  
  
That's right: 14.  
  
Anyway, the question for the reviewers, which will be in capital letters to attract your attention:  
  
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE MOMENT IN THE BOOKS SO FAR? THIS CAN BE FROM ANY BOOK. LIST AS MANY AS YOU WANT. THE MORE YOU LIST, THE MORE I FEEL LIKE WRITING.  
  
Anyway . . . who knows when the next one will come out? sighs I promise this'll get going eventually.


	8. The Very First Prank

-shuffles feet- Erm . . . let me begin with saying that yes, I AM aware that I have not updated in over –mumbles- a year. For this, I am sorry. Life was like a car speeding away and I was along for the ride. I had no muse, no inspiration, and no time to write. But after spending an entire day re-reading my writing and the reviews you wonderful, wonderful people left, and seeing how many people have me on their favorites list, I was more or less consumed with guilt. I decided that even if it kills me, I am going to pull this story out from somewhere and I am going to finish it. So help me God.

I want to thank all of you reviewers who have stayed faithful to me and to Fairy Dust- Nicole and Meredith especially for their constant and unending friendship. You have no idea how much I love and appreciate you to two for all that you do.

Thank you.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (FFN took away my asterisks. Grr.)

"Detention with Black," James muttered angrily as he scrubbed at a multicolored glob of goo on the floor of the Potions dungeon. The night had started off absolutely wonderful. Professor Arlington, completely oblivious to the death glares the boys were sending to each other, had given them the task of scrubbing the entire dungeon clean without the use of magic. James Potter had never done a single thing in his life without magic. James Potter had also never actually cleaned anything either.

The professor had left the two boys to their cleaning. As soon as she had left, Sirius moved as far away from James as he could, lest he catch the disease that made James's hair defy gravity. He sat in another corner of the room, playing with his sponge and not doing his assigned work- an average occurrence in the life of Sirius Black. A grunt from the other boy in the room caused him to look up. James had his back towards him and was obediently tending to his chore. A small grin slowly grew on Sirius's face as the hand holding the sponge dipped menacingly into the bucket of soap and suds. The back of Potter's head just looked so inviting . . .

**_WHAP! _**

James bolted straight into the air as something very wet hit him in the back of his head. Reaching back, he cautiously felt what had attacked him. He breathed a sigh of relief as he found it was only soap and not something utterly disgusting. A soft sniggering noise from the other side of the room told him immediately who the culprit was. Well, it's not like there could have been anyone else. They were alone, after all. "Oy!" he shouted, whirling around to face his nemesis. "What was that for?"

"First rule of pranking," Sirius replied. "Never turn your back to your enemy." James narrowed his eyes before smirking.

"That may be true, Mr. Black, but you seem to have forgotten the equally important second rule: Never be caught defenseless," he said. "Because now that you have thrown your sponge at me, I have two and you have none. Therefore I hold all the power. You have no way to defend yourself."

"Ah yes, but _you_ seem to have forgotten, Mr. Potter, that I have a bucket of lukewarm detergent that is just begging to be thrown at that mop you call a head," Sirius retorted, holding up his bucket threateningly. "And, plus, I'm a freaking wizard."

"You wouldn't dare," James hissed.

"I'm a Black. You should never make assumptions about us," Sirius said as threw the entire soapy bucket onto James. The now soapy Gryffindor boy coughed and sputtered before slipping around on the soap. While Sirius was laughing his head off at James's misfortune, James took the opportunity to pick up _his_ bucket and toss the contents at his enemy. The shocked, startled intake of breath followed by cursing and spitting as Sirius realized he had just swallowed a mouthful of the soap succeeded in bringing a smile to James's face.

Sirius wiped the soap out of his eyes and glared at James. "You are so dead," he growled before lunging at the boy and knocking him to the floor.

Fifteen minutes later, Professor Arlington entered the Potions classroom and gasped in shock as she saw the two students who were supposed to be doing detention wrestling on the floor, a few punches and kicks being exchanged between them. "Boys!" she cried. Upon hearing her voice, the two Gryffindors sprang apart from each other. The professor cautiously stepped into the room and looked around.

"I have to admit, although you boys have an unconventional way of cleaning, you've done a nice job," she remarked, a satisfied look on her face. James and Sirius both raised an eyebrow before looking around the room. It was completely spotless. Somehow, they had managed to clean the entire thing. This was most likely due to them rolling around on the floor covered in soap. The boys looked at each other and shared a small laugh, just happy that they had made it through the detention.

"You're free to go," the professor said. "And do try not to get detention again. I'd hate to have to put you through this again, I really would." Instantly, James was out of the room and halfway down the hall.

"Hey Potter! Wait up!" Sirius called, running after the boy in question. James stopped and heaved an exaggerated sigh.

"What do you want, Black?" he grumbled, folding his arms and giving Sirius a sour look.

"You have quite the devious mind for an absolute idiot," Sirius said, patting James on the shoulder.

"Do you have any idea what 'devious' means?"

"Well, no, but my mum uses it to refer to me all the time. Do _you_ know what it means?"

"No, but that's not the point."

"What is the point then?" Sirius questioned, scratching his head.

"I don't know," James replied. "You're the one who started this stupid conversation."

"Oh right!" Sirius murmured as they walked down the hallway together. He chuckled softly. "Man, it would have been great if that had been Snape there instead of you. His poor hair could have finally been washed." James came to a sudden stop.

"You hate Severus Snape?" he asked with wide eyes.

"With an undying passion," Sirius replied. He quirked an eyebrow and suspiciously asked, "Why?"

"Because I hate him more than I do you!" James exclaimed. Sirius paused for a moment and looked thoughtful (a rare occurrence for the heir of the Noble House of Black). James squinted his eyes at the boy. "Are you thinking?" he asked, amazed.

"Hey, don't knock it 'till you've tried it," Sirius replied. "You know, I think I've come up with something that will make us both very happy. Do you realize what we could accomplish if we worked together? I mean, of course, all the utter terror we could unleash with pranks upon these poor, unsuspecting students. I propose a truce; for the time being at least, so that we can combine our efforts and our brains to create a legendary team of pranksters." He extended a hand towards James. "So what do you say, Jamesie? Are you willing to put aside our differences for the greater evil and general mischief?"

James stared at Sirius's hand for a moment. "Never call me 'Jamesie' again and you've got yourself a deal, Mr. Black," he said, taking Sirius's hand and giving it a quick shake.

"I can already tell this is the beginning of a beautiful partnership, Mr. Potter," Sirius said, slinging an arm around James's shoulders as they walked down the darkened corridor and into the night.

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

The portrait hole opened and Lily entered the Gryffindor common room, her arms laden with books. She had been working on homework ever since dinner was over and still hadn't finished when the librarian finally kicked her out of the library. She was about to call it a night and leave her Charms homework for the morning when she spotted one of her dorm mates sitting alone in a corner. It was the quiet one; Megan, she thought her name was. Usually Megan and one of the first year boys would always be together playing chess, doing homework, or just talking. But he didn't seem to be around tonight and Megan looked quite lost without him.

Deciding sleep could wait; Lily walked over to the girl. "Hey Megan?" she asked softly. "Did you understand the Charms homework? I've worked on it for hours and I can't seem to understand it." In all truth, Lily had taken instantly to Charms and seemed to have a knack for it. So what if she told a little white lie? Lily knew full well she couldn't go seven years with Sirius as her only companion and Megan looked like she needed a friend.

"I'm pretty sure I understood it. Do you want to sit down and we can go over what you have? I can try to explain the things you don't understand," she said softly, scooting over on the couch she was sitting on and making room for Lily to sit down.

"Thanks so much," Lily said as she sunk onto the couch and opened her Charms book. "Where's your friend at? I don't think I've seen you two apart since the year started."

Megan looked at the ground and shrugged. "Madame Pomfrey, the hospital wing lady, came and got him after classes were over yesterday and he never came back. I got a note from him this morning that said his mother was sick and he had to go see her but that he'd be back in a few days at the most."

"Oh. Well I hope she's all right," Lily murmured as the portrait hole opened and James and Sirius stepped in, laughing hysterically about something. Lily immediately raised an eyebrow at the two boys.

"Well Mr. Black, I've got to get some shut-eye but I'll talk to you tomorrow morning about Operation Mischief," James said, giving Sirius a friendly pat on the back. Sirius nodded.

"But remember, it's strictly hush-hush," he said. "Wouldn't want the greasy bugger to find out, now would we? See you in the morning, Mr. Potter." James disappeared up the boys' staircase and Sirius spotted Lily sitting over in the corner with Megan. He walked over to the girls and sat in between them.

"What exactly did they do to you in that detention?" Lily asked suspiciously as Megan scooted away from Sirius.

"Why Lily, what ever do you mean?" Sirius questioned before glancing at Megan. "I'm not going to bite, you know. Not hard, at least." Megan scooted even further away from him.

"I'm talking about how you spent all day today whining and complaining about how you were dreading your detention with "The Evil Git" as you referred to him and now you two come back acting like you've been friends all your lives!"

"Lily, Lily, Lily," Sirius tutted. "The bond between men is a strange and mysterious thing that can be neither understood nor explained."

"You found something in common didn't you?"

"You know Lily, you take the fun out of everything."

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

Breakfast at the Slytherin table was traditionally a quiet affair. Slytherins by definition were not morning people and most would still be half-asleep as they shoveled food into their mouths. It seemed that a cruel twist of Fate had bestowed upon Slytherin a terrible curse that came in the form of a caffeine crazed first year girl.

"What kind of place is Dumbledore running?" Meredith mumbled, folding her arms and pouting. "Pumpkin juice and tea? You've got to be kidding me. Where is the coffee?" At the mention of the beverage, she slammed her fists on the table, causing many Slytherins to bolt upright and one to fall on the floor.

"What are you talking about, girl?" Lucius hissed, angry at being knocked out of his sleep-like state.

"Don't give me that attitude, Lucy," Meredith responded to which Lucius narrowed his eyes. "I'm talking about how there is no coffee here. Sure it's an American drink, but that doesn't mean we Brits can't enjoy it too! Who says we should be confined to tea? Coffee is a whole new world of possibilities."

"Meredith, people are starting to stare," Nicole muttered. Having roomed with the girl for almost a month, Nicole knew that when Meredith went off on a tangent, it would be hard to bring her back to Earth.

"Let them stare!" Meredith cried. "Then maybe they will realize the horrible injustice that is occurring here. Sure, I put up without the coffee for a few weeks, hoping that maybe whoever makes the food had just forgotten. But day in and day out there continues to be no coffee and I am beginning to go through withdrawals. Look at me Nicole, I'm shaking! I'm shaking from being deprived of coffee's caffeinated goodness!"

"Oh for the love of Merlin!" exclaimed a seventh year as he leaned over and tapped Meredith's goblet with his wand. "Please shut up now."

Meredith raised an eyebrow at the boy and hesitantly raised the goblet to her lips. As soon as she tasted the liquid, she let out a scream of joy. "It's COFFEE!" she cried happily.

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

A few days later found the Gryffindors enjoying their dinner. Megan's soft-spoken friend had returned looking extremely worse for wear and she had not left his side since. Stifling a yawn, Lily sat down next to her just in time to catch a part of Sirius and James' whispered conversation from across the table.

"Today?" James whispered. Sirius craned his neck as if looking for something across the hall.

"I don't know, is he here?"

"Of course he's here. Bugger hasn't missed a day of school yet."

"Well okay. Do you want to do it or should I?"

"Do you know the spell?" James whispered.

"Of course I know it, Potter," Sirius retorted, giving the bespectacled boy a glare.

"Fine then, go ahead." Sirius nodded and withdrew his wand. As he did, Lily's eyebrows shot up. She was about to say something to stop him when Sirius pointed his wand at something across the Great Hall.

"_Wingardium Leviosa_," he said, butchering the pronunciation horribly. He seemed to be waiting for something to happen. Apparently nothing did because his face immediately became one of disappointment. He tried saying the spell a few more times but had no success.

"You idiot," James growled, standing up and whipping out his own wand. "_WINGARDIUM LEVIOSA!_" he shouted. A few seconds later there was a loud cry followed by hysterical laughter. Lily whirled around in her seat to see a very shocked looking Severus Snape pulling a bowl of pudding off of his head as the rest of the Great Hall laughed at his expense.

"POTTER! BLACK!"

The two boys turned to see a furious looking McGonagall storming down from the faculty table and down the aisle. She grabbed the two boys by the back of their robes and dragged them from the Great Hall.

"Wow, they're really going to it," Megan's quiet friend murmured. Lily merely nodded her head in agreement.

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

"This sucks," Sirius muttered as he picked up another piece of parchment and placed it in a folder. "OUCH!" he cried after receiving yet another paper cut. He and James were serving detention for McGonagall as punishment for their prank on Snape. She was making them re-file all of the papers that she had kept over the years.

"Tell me about it," James grumbled. "You know, if we had planned the prank better instead of just rushing into it we might not have gotten caught."

"Well the only problem there is that neither of us were blessed with the 'being-smart-and-good-with-planning-stuff' gene," Sirius retorted as he made a pouting face at his paper cut.

"True," James replied as a wicked grin spread on his face, "But I think I know someone who was."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

A/n: Well, there it is, just in time for Christmas. Please, please, PLEASE read and review with comments and suggestions (they are GREATLY appreciated). It may be a while until the next part comes out since my life will be a little busy in the next few weeks, but I PROMISE that it won't be a whole year. Just keep reviewing to kick my lazy butt into gear.


	9. Chicken

A/n: Oh lookie, another chapter. Well, I'd just like to say bear with me for these next couple of chapters because it might be a wee bit boring. Understand that after the fourth year I have absolutely everything planned in my head, but between now and until then I've got absolutely squat. Right now, I'm working on developing friendships and character growth so it's going to be little tedious and I'll try to speed things along the best I can. Any suggestions are readily welcomed. Thanks for your consideration.

Now, as some of you who had read the original Fairy Dust might have noticed, I have removed the original version of the story from the site. I felt that it reflected badly on me as a writer since I was way immature when I wrote it (although my friends may try and tell you that I'm not any better now) and I was getting annoyed with what I felt was atrocious writing being on display for everyone to see. So I deleted it. It still exists on my computer, though (all 61 chapters), and you can rest assured that I will be borrowing ideas, concepts, and perhaps even whole scenes from it in the future. Now, ON TO THE STORY!

I miss my asterisks and squiggly lines . . . sniffle

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The day of the first flying lesson dawned crisp and cool and the entire Gryffindor tower woke to the melodic sounds of two first year boys screaming at the top of their lungs, "IT'S FLYING DAY!"

After receiving many livid glares from older housemates who wanted nothing more than to cling desperately to the last precious moments of sleep rather than being awoken by a chorus of first year boys, James and Sirius made it out of the common room and down to the Great Hall for breakfast. Both of the boys were literally bouncing in their seats from excitement and drew questioning looks from the students present in the Great Hall.

"You really need to calm down," Lily murmured to Sirius as she looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Just be glad you weren't in our room last night," the boy who Lily thought was called Remus leaned over and whispered to her. "I didn't fall asleep until one in the morning because they were awake and talking about Quidditch and flying."

"It's the best thing in the world!" James exclaimed. "Have you ever _seen_ a Quidditch match? They're bloody amazing! Take Puddlemere United, for example. My dad took me to see one of their games this summer. They're the best team in all of England!"

"No way! Montrose Magpies are WAY better," Sirius said. "They've won the European Championships like thirty times!"

"Puddlemere."

"Magpies."

"Puddlemere!"

"Magpies!"

"PUDDLEMERE!"

"MAGPIES!"

"This is exactly what I listened to all last night," Remus muttered, lowering his head onto the table.

The bickering between Sirius and James went on for a moment more until Megan, who was sitting next to Remus and had been quietly eating her breakfast, dropped her fork onto her plate and cried, "For the love of Merlin, it's just a GAME!" As soon as she had spoken out, James and Sirius instantly quieted and turned to look at her with wide eyes and dropped jaws. Her cheeks turned a brilliant shade of red.

"Just a game?" Sirius whispered, aghast. "_Just a game_?"

"Look here, little girl, I don't know what you think you're talking about, but Quidditch is much more than a _game_," James said. "It's-"

"Potter, I'd really hate to have to give you another detention," said Rowan as he walked over to where the group of first years were sitting and placed his hands on Megan's shoulders before giving James a warning look. "McGonagall doesn't take kindly to students harassing other students and I personally do not tolerate people being mean to my little sister."

"I wasn't being mean to her or harassing her!" James protested. Megan silently stared down at her plate. "I was just trying to explain to her that Quidditch is much more than a game; it's a way of life!"

"Potter, you don't have to explain to me the wonders of Quidditch," Rowan replied. "I _am_ the Gryffindor team captain. I understand perfectly. Now, if I'm not mistaken, it's time for you to be off to your first flying lesson." James and Sirius looked at each other and leapt out of their seats before running out of the Great Hall. Lily sighed and stood up.

"I'd better go make sure Sirius doesn't hurt himself," she muttered, walking away from the table.

"Rowan, you don't have to protect me from everything and everyone," Megan mumbled. The Head Boy sat down next to her and gave her a hug.

"I'm your big brother; that's my job," he said. She rolled her eyes and stood.

"I'd love to stay and talk with you Rowan, but I'm going to be late for flying," she said as Remus stood up as well. Together, they walked out of the Great Hall, leaving Rowan shaking his head and rolling his eyes.

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

"Welcome to flying!" exclaimed a woman with hawk-like features and brown hair that was cropped close to her head. "I am Madam Hooch and I will be your flying instructor. And just between you and me, this is my first year of teaching so go easy on me, okay?" James and Sirius shot each other a conspiring grin. The class was lined up facing each other in two rows. The Slytherins (with whom the Gryffindors were sharing this lesson) had quickly made a point to get as far away from the Gryffindors as they could, some, like Lucius Malfoy, complaining the whole time about the poor quality of brooms offered.

The day was bright and crisp, with only a few clouds in the sky and a light breeze. Lily was grateful for this since she had never flown before and didn't fancy trying to do it in inclement weather. Around her, people were looking nervous, scared, sick, confident, relaxed, or in James and Sirius's case, positively elated. Madam Hooch quickly explained how to call the broom to them and instructed them to try it.

As one, the entire class placed their wand hand over their broom and shouted "UP!" Lily's broom rose about three inches before clattering back to the ground. With a grunt of frustration, she looked up to see if anyone had managed to get his or hers up on the first time. James and Sirius had, along with Lucius and the greasy haired boy from Slytherin. Lily saw that Megan, who was standing next to her, had also managed to get hers on the first try and was looking quite astonished at having done so.

"How'd you do that?" Lily asked. Megan shrugged.

"I-I don't know," she squeaked.

"The broom senses your fear, Lils," Sirius called across from her. "You have to let it know who's boss. If you don't take charge, the broom will never respect you."

"Sirius, it's a big stick with some twigs on the end, not a living creature," Lily retorted which caused Sirius to gasp dramatically and lovingly stroke the broom in his hand.

"And that attitude is exactly why it won't come to you," he muttered, placing a tiny kiss on the handle of his broom.

After the entire class had managed to call their brooms up (Lily's had come on the second try) Madam Hooch demonstrated how to properly mount the broom and had the class follow her example. Once they had mastered that, she showed them how to kick off from the ground to go into a hover and instructed them to follow her example. As Lily kicked off and felt the breeze rush through her hair, she could see why James and Sirius had been so excited for this day to arrive. She glanced over at the pair and saw that they wore nearly identical goofy grins on their faces. A glance to her left showed a different story with Megan. She was shaking and gripping the handle so tightly that her knuckles were almost white. Lily opened her mouth to say something, but decided against it.

Twenty minutes later when the class had learned how turn and how to rise and fall in altitude, a figure strode out onto the lawn. "Madam Hooch!" the figure called. It was McGonagall. "Madame Hooch, I need to speak with you."

"Professor McGonagall, I'm in the middle of a class," Madam Hooch replied.

"It's quite urgent," McGonagall said. "It won't take but a second."

"Very well," said the flying instructor as she landed and dismounted and regarded the class. "I want you lot to practice your kick off, your hovering if you haven't already found your balance, your turning, and going up and down. If I catch one of trying to move forward or backward, you'll get a detention faster than you can say "Quidditch". Are we clear?" The class nodded obediently and Madam Hooch walked off to the castle with Professor McGonagall.

As soon as the large doors of the castle had clanged shut, James looked at Sirius and raised an eyebrow. Sirius looked questioningly at James for a moment but a grin quickly spread across his face as well.

_Dear God, are they communicating telepathically now?_ Lily wondered, having seen the exchange. The two boys immediately brought their brooms up in altitude to about twenty feet, versus the five feet above ground the rest of the class was at. They flew away from each other, completely disregarding Madam Hooch's rule about not going forward or backward, and turned to face each other when there was about a hundred feet between them. Lily rose to the level that they were at (which was perfectly allowable of course), and shouted, "You boys are going to get in so much trouble!"

"Don't worry about it Evans," James called to her before turning to Sirius. "Mr. Black, I challenge you to a duel!"

"I accept!" Sirius replied. Lily bit her lip and decided to go back down to where the rest of the class was watching the two boys in curiosity.

"Ready? GO!" cried James. He and Sirius both bent low on their broom handles as they accelerated straight towards each other in a collision course. A few people gasped as they got closer, but Sirius pulled away five feet from hitting James.

"Ha! You're the chicken!" James cried triumphantly as the boys flew back to their starting points. Sirius muttered something under his breath.

"Chicken," Remus remarked in disbelief. "They're going to kill themselves!" The boys started again, flying straight towards each other, people in the rest of the class biting their nails. It was James who pulled out this time, three feet from impact.

"One more time!" he called before Sirius could make a remark.

"Boys, stop it! You're going to hurt yourselves!" Lily cried, but the boys ignored her and flew back to the starting positions. The attraction of the game had worn off for some of the people in the class and they had chosen to practice their movements as Madam Hooch had instructed.

"GO!" James shouted, and the boys zoomed towards each other, a look of extreme determination on both of their faces. Neither one wanted to be the chicken. They got closer and closer and neither one showed any sign of pulling out. Thirty feet, twenty feet, fifteen, ten, eight, five, three, two-

**CRASH!**

A crunching of brooms was heard followed by a scream. Lily looked up in horror and frowned when she saw James sitting on his broom looking quite surprised, Sirius hanging onto his broom by his hands, and the coffee obsessed Slytherin being dangled in the air from the back of the robes by Lucius Malfoy.

What had happened was this: At one foot away from impact, Sirius chickened and sharply pulled away to avoid hitting James. However, by turning so sharply, he had managed to crash straight into Meredith who was practicing her broom movements as had been instructed and had unfortunately been at the same altitude as the two boys. The collision had knocked both people from their brooms. Sirius managed to grab hold of his but Meredith was sent flying. Lucius Malfoy had seen her launch into the air and deftly plucked her out of the air before she smashed into the ground. Needless to say, Meredith was not happy.

"YOU IDIOT!" she screamed as Lucius slowly lowered her to the ground and Sirius swung up onto his broom. "YOU GIGANTIC OAF! I COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED! DOES YOUR HEAD NOT CONTAIN ONE OUNCE OF COMMON SENSE? OR ARE YOU COMPLETELY DAFT AND BONKERS?" Lucius had now reached the ground and set her down before quickly flying as far away from her as he could. By now Meredith was stomping around on the ground and shaking her first angrily at a very surprised looking Sirius. Obviously the boy had not expected to be screamed at by a very pissed off, coffee obsessed, tiny Asian girl today.

"And FURTHERMORE," she continued, her voice getting slightly hoarse, "Your mother was a hamster, and your father smelt of ELDERBERRIES!" With a final frustrated scream, Meredith delivered a swift kick to her broom that was lying on the ground after falling from the air before stalking towards the castle muttering things like "Bloody flying, stupid brooms, freaking idiot boy," under her breath the whole way.

"Remind me never to get on her bad side," James mumbled, glancing at Sirius who was watching her walk towards the castle, utterly speechless.

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

After the flying lesson, the students were treated to a break before their next class. James and Sirius managed to track down Remus and were following him down a long corridor. "What's his name again?" James whispered to Sirius. The latter scratched his head.

"Er . . . Ronnicus? Romulus? No! It's Remus!" he exclaimed.

"Right. OY REMUS!" James called. The boy in front of them stopped and slowly turned around.

"Yes?" he asked quietly. The two boys quickly moved to either side of Remus and slung an arm around the boy's shoulders.

"Please, step into our office," Sirius said.

"You have an office?" Remus asked skeptically, quirking an eyebrow.

"Well, broom closet actually," James muttered as he and Sirius ushered Remus into a door on their right. "We're looking into relocating." Sirius shut the door to the closet. Now the only light was coming from a small window. The closet was dank and dusty, causing Remus to sneeze a few times.

"You guys aren't going to hex me and leave me here, are you?" he asked, shifting nervously.

"Of course not!" Sirius cried. "Although, hexing is part of the reason why you're here." Remus's eyes widened and his hand inched towards his wand.

"Relax, we're not going to do anything to you," James assured him. "We actually have a proposition for you."

"And that would be?"

"Well, Mr. Black and I found out that as much as we despised each other, we despised a certain Slytherin even more," James explained. "We realized that if we put aside our differences, we could bring hell down upon this poor, unsuspecting slime ball. But then a glorious question entered our heads. Why limit our talents to this one grease bucket? We could wreak havoc on the entire student population of Hogwarts!"

"I fail to see where I come into this," Remus interjected.

"You see, as much as Jamesie and I pretend to be fabulously intelligent, we're actually incredibly stupid," Sirius replied. "We don't think before we act, we have no planning skills whatsoever, and we only have a minimal knowledge of spells that could be used in pranking. What our proposal boils down to is this: You're smart, we're not. We need you to help us otherwise our little venture will fail miserably. Yes, you will be risking getting into trouble, but Mr. Potter and I are prepared to make you a generous offer. If you agree to be our resident smart guy you will be given full immunity to any pranking by us unless you start it or we get really bored, we will do our best to protect you from any pranks from other people just as you would be expected to do for us, and you would be included as part of our group." Remus sat in silence for a moment, looking back and forth between the two boys and thinking it over.

"So, basically you guys would be my friends?" he asked softly. James and Sirius quickly glanced at each other.

"Basically, yeah," James answered as Sirius nodded. A wide smile spread on Remus's face.

"I'll do it."

"Welcome to the group!" Sirius exclaimed as he shook Remus's hand and James patted the boy on the back. The smile never left Remus's face.

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

Later that evening, Remus and Megan were seated on the couch in front of the fire attempting to do a lengthy Charms essay that was due at the end of the week. They had managed to get about three inches into the required three feet of parchment when Lily entered the common room, the book bag slung over her shoulder full almost to bursting. She spotted the pair and quickly walked over to them. "Are you guys working on the Charms essay?" she asked hopefully. They nodded and she sighed in relief. "Would you mind terribly if I joined you?"

"Not at all," Megan said with a warm smile. "In fact, we could probably use your brain. You're really good at Charms." Lily shook her head as she sat next to Megan.

"I'm not _that_ good," she replied. "I just understand most of it." At that moment Sirius bounded down the boys' staircase, sheets of parchment clutched in his hand.

"_Please_ tell me that at least one of you understands this," he said desperately, skidding to a halt in front of the trio, a few papers fluttering to the floor.

"Lily's going to help us," Remus said, indicating the girl with the feathery end of the quill.

"Oh. Cool," Sirius replied, flopping into a chair near the couch. "So how does the levitating charm work?" Lily opened her mouth to reply, but just as she was about to, the portrait hole opened and James stepped through, grumbling.

"I hate Charms," he muttered as he passed by the couch.

"Sit down, Potter," Sirius said. "Lily's going to help us." James breathed a sigh of relief and sat down in a chair at the opposite end of the couch. "Where's Petey at?" Sirius questioned.

James shrugged. "Probably eating," he mumbled. Now that everyone was settled, Lily began explaining the material and the rest of the group began to frantically write the notes down. Although they didn't know it at the time, this was the first of many fireside study sessions the five Gryffindors would hold in the years to come.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

A/n: And thus ends another chapter. Hope you liked it! It might be a couple of weeks until I plunk out the next one due to a bunch of stuff I have happening.

PLEASE REVIEW!


End file.
